In less than two months, a petition aimed at ending the federal goods and services tax charged on menstruation products has gathered almost 60,000 signatures from across the country.

The campaign, called #NoTaxOnTampons, takes aim at the fact that all menstrual hygiene products are considered a non-essential item or luxury, according to the Government of Canada. Those behind this campaign point out that some items that are considered basic — and are therefore not taxed — include chocolate chips, cocktail cherries and wedding cakes (as long as a certain amount is edible.)

NDP MP Irene Mathyssen has tabled a private member’s bill twice (once in 2011 and again in 2013) called Bill C-282 – An Act to amend the Excise Tax on feminine hygiene products. But the bill didn’t gain any traction.

We spoke to Mathyssen as well as Jill Piebiak, a 28-year-old activist from Toronto, who’s been spearheading the petition.

Over the past couple of months, there has been a lot of buzz around this issue. Why do you think it’s taken this long to get the conversation going?

JP: “I think it speaks to the priorities of the government and the way that women’s issues tend to take the backburner in Canadian politics. Bill C-282 isn’t even the beginning. When legislature was deciding in 1991 what to tax and what not to tax, the GST on menstruation products was brought up and ignored. It’s hard to imagine why a government would act like this is something small, when it really has broad implications on women in Canada. There are a lot of financial burdens that women carry that men don’t … and I would suspect that’s why when the GST was originally brought forward in 1991, it was overlooked.”

IM: “I don’t know – too many men in legislature? Maybe none of them menstruated … I can only guess. But what I can tell you is that it’s probably a combination of things. It wasn’t taken seriously. And the reality of private member’s bills is that it’s a lottery. I brought forward this particular bill because it’s obviously an unfair tax … but clearly there’s been a lack of government interest.”

Are you getting a lot of support from Canadian women?

JP: “To be honest, I was surprised by the feedback I got after putting the petition online. There seemed to be two types of people coming forward — half of the audience that signed said this was something they knew about, were frustrated with and were happy to sign as a way of supporting something they thought was discriminatory. The other half were also very supportive, but also very surprised that this tax existed. It’s something that goes unnoticed — you don’t really often check your bill for GST or for items that are taxed or not taxed. These products are essential for normal public life in Canada for over half of the population. When you think about other medical products that are needed, they are tax-free, whereas this particular product is only needed by one gender, and it’s taxed.”

IM: “It’s touched a nerve with women. In five weeks after starting the campaign, Jill reached her goal of 50,000 signatures. So there’s something here that I think women instinctively understand. It’s not just a few women who feel that these items are most definitely not a luxury. They are a necessity for a modern woman, going to work or school … we can’t rely on the old methods. And certainly, if you look at incontinence products and diapers, no one would question the fact that there’s no tax on those.”

Now that you’ve reached almost 60,000 supporters across Canada, what is your overall goal for the campaign?

JP: “What we’re trying to do is help this campaign go further and reach more Canadians. One of the ways we want to do that is by creating a video about the campaign that will raise awareness — not only about the GST charged on menstruation products — but also how online petitions cannot be tabled in the House of Commons. So we’re encouraging folks to print hard copies of the petition either in French or English, and get them back to Irene’s office by Apr. 27. The bill can still be brought forward by the government if they are willing, so that’s our goal.”

IM: “We are hoping to table the bill again in the first week of May while it still has some teeth. I think it’s great that this is suddenly on the radar. My guess is that with all of the interest, publicity and discussion, the petition has probably come to the attention of the government caucus and hopefully the ministers most directly connected. I haven’t heard anything yet, though.”

(The Department of Finance declined to comment on “possible policy actions or discuss what might be under consideration.”)

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